A jersey worn by New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge during his very first major league game is expected to bring in between $3 million and $5 million when it goes under the hammer in July, according to a report by The Athletic.
The 2016 Yankees jersey will be part of Sotheby’s Summer Sports Marquee auction, alongside a jersey worn by former Yankees legend Derek Jeter during one of his most memorable moments on the field. Bidding for the auction opens July 1 and runs through July 20.
Judge made his big league debut on August 13, 2016, as the Yankees beat the visiting Tampa Bay Rays 8-4. Hitting in the eighth spot in the lineup and playing right field, Judge went 2-for-4 on the day. The highlight came in the second inning when, with two outs, he launched a home run off right-handed pitcher Matt Andriese.
That blast came right after a home run by teammate Tyler Austin, who was also making his major league debut that same afternoon. The two became the first pair of teammates in baseball history to homer in their first career at-bats in the same game.
Austin, a first baseman, wrapped up his major league career in 2019. Judge, meanwhile, has gone on to become one of the game’s biggest stars — earning American League Most Valuable Player honors in 2022, 2024, and 2025, along with AL Rookie of the Year recognition in 2017.
Now 34 years old and a seven-time All-Star, Judge carries a lifetime batting average of .291 with 385 home runs, 868 RBIs, 213 doubles, and 70 stolen bases across 1,204 games — all with the Yankees.
Brahm Wachter, who heads modern collectibles at Sotheby’s, explained to The Athletic why this particular jersey is so significant. “Obviously, he became an iconic Bronx Bomber and passed (Roger) Maris’ (single-season AL home run) record (with 62), he’s kind of known for being a home run hitter,” Wachter said. “So we have a rookie debut jersey where he hits a home run, not just wore it for his first game. He actually did something important in it.”
Judge has been sidelined since May 31 due to a stress fracture in his right rib. Through 59 games this season, he is hitting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs.
When it comes to Judge memorabilia, the highest price ever paid at public auction was $1.5 million — for the baseball he hit for his record-breaking 62nd home run in 2022. On the trading card side, auction house Fanatics Collect announced in March that a private sale of his 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Pick Autographs one-of-one Superfractor fetched $5.2 million, making it the most expensive modern era card ever publicly sold.
Also featured in the Sotheby’s auction is a jersey tied to one of Jeter’s most iconic moments. On July 1, 2004, the Yankees shortstop made a spectacular catch on a foul ball in the 12th inning of a 5-4 win over the visiting Boston Red Sox — a game that went 13 innings. Jeter dove into the seats beyond the third base line and had to be helped out of the crowd, his face visibly bruised from the effort.
That Jeter jersey carries a pre-sale estimate of $500,000 to $700,000. For comparison, Jeter’s debut jersey sold for $369,000 back in 2020, which was a record for a modern era jersey at the time, per The Athletic. Jeter, who turns 52 on Friday, had a Hall of Fame career — inducted in the Class of 2020 — spending his entire big league run with the Yankees from 1995 to 2014.
The top price ever paid at public auction for a Jeter trading card is $600,000, for a 1993 Upper Deck SP Foil Premier Prospects graded PSA 10, according to the report.
